Sandiacre well beaten at table top as Swarkie show power
LEADERS Swarkestone crushed nearest rivals Sandiacre Town to keep their Beechwood Mazda Derbyshire Premier Division charge on track.
Sandiacre took two early wickets after winning the toss and choosing to bowl but Harvey Hosein and Nils Priestley then put on 75 for Swarkestone and when Priestley was out for 44, Hosein and Ben Hutchinson added 76 more.
Hosein was run out for 60 but Hutchinson went on to make 84 from 85 balls before Dan Wheeldon returned to bowl him and the innings closed on 284-8 after 47 overs.
A rain re-calculation set Sandiacre’s target at 218 from 35 overs but they were blitzed for 104, Luke Thomas carrying his bat for 58 not out as everyone else fell around him.
Hutchinson (3-25) did the early damage but Priestley wrapped it up quickly with 5-7 from only 3.1 overs.
Ockbrook eased past Alrewas to close to within two points of secondplaced Sandiacre.
Alex Scully had the top score of 29 as Alrewas battled to 163 all out and the rain offered Ockbrook a revised target of 133 from 29 overs.
Sam van Daesdonk’s mean spell of 2-19 from seven overs made them work as Ockbrook stumbled to 78-5 but Josh Sharratt’s knock of 42 not out from 42 balls got them home in 28.1 overs with six wickets down.
Ticknall were put in at home by Alvaston & Boulton and laboured to 79-5 before being bowled out for 138 in 33.4 overs.
Alvaston’s revised target after rain was 116 from 29 overs and they did not leave anything to chance with the weather as opener Matt Sisson blasted 56 from 24 balls, with eight fours and three sixes.
Chris Durham, who had taken four catches, eased his side home with 30 not out, A&B winning by eight wickets in 16.3 overs.
Marehay are now only two points behind Ticknall at the bottom after pulling off a good win away at nearneighbours Denby.
Lewis Palmer (4-48) and Caleb Jasmat (3-46) had Denby struggling and, from 120-7, they needed a late 43 not out from Joe Wilson to get to 202-9.
At 82-5 in the reply, Denby looked like they may have enough but Dan Birch (53) and Jasmat (44) pulled it round and David Buckley (29 not out) saw Marehay home with five balls to spare.
Spondon were comfortable winners away to Eckington, where the home side posted 187 all out, led by 71 from captain Joe Bullimore, while
Jack Gorbert took 5-28.
Joe Ashdown was in irresistible form in the reply, smashing 121 not out from 95 balls with 17 fours and two sixes as Spondon raced to an eight-wicket win in only 28.3 overs.
Muhammad Zaroob took 5-31 from seven overs as Alfreton bowled out a depleted Langley Mill for 180,
Rafay Ahmed top-scoring with 62.
After a recovery from 105-7, the Millers’ last three wickets fell without addition.
Jake Simpson (53 not out) and Muhammad Asim (28 not out) combined in an unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 62 to see Alfreton home in the 48th over.